Abstract Introduction Suicide is a critical public health challenge, as it is considered one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Recent research has revealed a close association between sleep disorders and suicidal risk. Insomnia has been associated with an elevated risk of developing mental disorders, especially depressive syndromes. Nevertheless, uncertainty persists regarding whether insomnia operates as an independent phenomenon that may modify the likehood of suicidal behavior. In this context, the investigation of insomnia within psychiatric settings is proposed using actigraphy, a non-invasive method for the objective assessment of sleep quality and a potentially valuable complementary tool in the field of sleep medicine. Methods Analytical cross-sectional study conducted in hospitalized psychiatric patients presenting suicidal risk at the “Dr. José Eleuterio González” University Hospital. The study employed actigraphy recording and a one-week sleep diary, along with the initial administration of validated scales assessing sleep quality, depressive symptoms, and suicidal risk. Results A total of 20 patients with suicidal risk were included in the study (75% female and 25% masculine; mean age 27.6 ±10.6 years). Mean psychometric scores were as follows: Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) high risk, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) 18.8, Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) 35, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) 14.7. Actigraphic assessment showed a mean sleep efficiency of 76.9%, with an average sleep latency of 10.3 minutes and mean total sleep time of 349.8 minutes. The shortest total sleep duration recorded was 238.8 minutes. Conclusion The combination of short sleep latency with objectively insufficient total sleep time suggests that rapid sleep onset may mask clinically relevant sleep impairment in patients at suicidal risk. These findings underscore the relevance of incorporating objective sleep assessment in psychiatric settings to better identify sleep-related factors potentially associated with suicidal behavior. Support (if any)
Cortés-Estrada et al. (2026) studied this question.